thanksgiving tips
thanksgiving turkey

How to thaw a turkey

Whenever possible, refrigerator thawing is best. However, if you are short on time and need a speedy method, try cold-water thawing. Do not ever thaw a turkey at room temperature, as this allows for bacterial growth and is never recommended.

Refrigerator Thawing

  • Thaw breast side up, in unopened wrapper, on a tray in the refrigerator.
  • Allow for at least 1 day of thawing for every 4 pounds of turkey.

Cold-Water Thawing

  • Thaw breast side down, in unopened wrapper, in enough cold water to cover it completely.
  • Change the water frequently to keep the turkey chilled.
  • Estimate a minimum thawing time of 30 minutes per pound for a whole turkey.

How to add flavor to your turkey

Brining and Marinating are great ways to add flavor to your turkey before cooking.

Marinating

  • Always marinate meats covered in the refrigerator, never at room temperature.
  • Marinating meat in sealable plastic bags makes for quick and easy cleanup.
  • Use a container or plastic bag that is big enough to allow the food to be positioned in a single layer and easily turned to coat both sides.
  • Allow 1/4 to 1/2 cup of marinade for every 1 to 2 pounds of meat.
  • Marinate 2 to 8 hours, depending on how strongly you want the flavor to come through.
  • Marinating too long will cause the fibers of the meat to break down, producing an unappealing, mushy texture. Poultry should not be marinated longer than 8 hours.
  • Discard leftover marinades that have been in contact with raw meat.
  • Do not reuse marinades.
  • Marinades do not require careful measurement. As long as you include a liquid (wine, orange juice, etc.), an oil (olive oil, canola oil, truffle oil, etc.), and some flavoring (garlic, basil, lemon, etc.), you have the basis for a marinade.
  • In a few cases, marinating recipes will call for heating the ingredients just to the boiling point to bring out the most flavor. If heated, always allow the marinade to cool to room temperature.
  • For recipes that call for a short marinating period, make the marinade several hours in advance so it can develop its full flavor before the food is added.

Brining

Make your turkey turn out moist and delicious by seasoning the entire turkey, not just the skin, with a process called brining. When you brine, a raw turkey is soaked in salted water for a number of hours while refrigerated to help it retain moisture during the cooking process. A turkey will look bluish-white before cooking and will not brown as well as non-brined turkeys.

  • Use a fresh, non-basted turkey. Brining is ineffective on frozen turkeys and may interfere with the flavor of basted or kosher turkeys.
  • Use 1 cup kosher salt per gallon (4 quarts) of water. If you must substitute table salt, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup per gallon of water.
  • Add herbs if desired. You could add a combination of 6 to 8 bay leaves, 1/2 cup dried rosemary, 3 cloves peeled garlic, 2 teaspoons peppercorns, and 1/2 cup dried thyme leaves. Try adding some brown sugar or 1 cup small dried red chili peppers if you want to add some heat.
  • Length of brine time depends on the size of the turkey. As turkey gets larger, increase brine time rather than salt concentration.
  • lace turkey, breast down, in a large container made of food-grade plastic, stainless steel, or glass that will fit in the refrigerator. Add brine to cover. Keep cold in refrigerator while brining.
  • Remove turkey from brine after recommended time and pat dry with paper towels. Not necessary to rinse. Cook turkey as desired.

When is the turkey done

Use a meat thermometer to take the guesswork out of determining when your turkey is done. A meat thermometer is designed to give you an accurate reading for a thoroughly cooked turkey.

The turkey is done when the meat thermometer reaches the following temperatures:

  • 180 degrees deep in the thigh. At this temperature, juices should be clear, not reddish pink, when thigh muscle is pierced deeply.
  • 165 degrees in the center of the stuffing, if turkey is stuffed. When the stuffed turkey is done, remove turkey from the oven and let the turkey with stuffing stand 15 minutes.

Where Does the Meat Thermometer go

  • The tip of the meat thermometer should be placed in the thigh muscle just above and beyond the lower part of the thighbone but not touching the bone, and it should be pointing toward the body. For the stuffing temperature, the tip of the thermometer should be in the center of the body cavity.
  • When using an oven-safe meat thermometer, insert the thermometer in the deepest part of the thigh prior to placing the turkey in the oven and leave in while roasting. Position the thermometer so it can be read while the turkey is in the oven.
  • When using an instant-read meat thermometer, do not leave the thermometer in the turkey during roasting. Insert in thigh and/or stuffing to take the temperature.

How to crave a turkey

  • Cut band of skin holding drumsticks. Grasp the end of the drumstick. Then place a knife between drumstick/thigh and body of the turkey, and cut through skin to joint. Remove entire leg by pulling out and back, using the point of the knife to disjoin it. Separate the thigh and drumstick at the joint.
  • Insert fork in upper wing to steady turkey. Make a long horizontal cut above wing joint through to body frame. Wing may be disjointed from body, if desired.
  • Slice straight down with an even stroke, beginning halfway up the breast. When knife reaches the cut above the wing joint, slice should fall free on its own.
  • Continue to slice breast meat easily by starting the cut at a higher point each time.